| Fright Night |
| Written by Nick West | |||
| Monday, 22 August 2011 08:16 | |||
 "Fright Night" is a remake of a 1985 movie of the same name. The original writer director, Tom Holland receives a story credit here. However, I'm unclear on how much he had to do the actual production. Let me take this moment to get on my soap box about Hollywood and REMAKES. I know everyone says, "Hollywood is officially out of ideas." That phrase has become as internet-cliché as "George Lucas raped my childhood." It's sad really. Let's make this clear, remakes have existed since stories have been told. Study your myth people. Read some Joseph Campbell. It's all the same goddamned story. (And myth usually has a lot to do with gods damning people, so I'm not out of place with my vulgarities.) Take for instance "Romeo and Juliet." Would you dismiss "West Side Story" as "just a shitty remake?" Or, Baz Luhrmann's gun-toting modern day version, he gave us 1996? Would you even know who William Shakespeare was, if it wasn't for all the re-tellings of his tales? (The guy was born in 1564, you know?) So remakes don't matter. STORY matters. Is the story compelling? Is it worth telling again? Can it entertain us? These are the things I'm concerned with. Having said all that, was "Fright Night" worth revisiting? Did it have something new to add to the voice of horror and comedy? Is it worth your time? Set in a suburb of Las Vegas, "Fright Night" concerns a high schooler, Charley (Anton Yelchin), his single mother, Jane (Toni Collette) and their new neighbor, who turns out to be a vampire, Jerry (Colin Farrell). Rounding out the supporting roles are David Tennant, as Peter Vincent (a Vegas magician and occult expert), Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Ed (the nerdy friend), and Imogen Poots as Amy (the hot girlfriend). Marti Noxon helmed the screenplay. She's famous for working on the television series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." She has a great ear for dialogue and punchy jokes. It totally shows here. Director, Craig Gillespie ("Lars and the Real Girl") helms the film. He plays this one heavy. There's not a lot of subtext in the imagery shown to us. It works sometimes. Sometimes it really doesn't. The cinematography is excellent. I don't know how much he had to do with that, but the Nevada landscapes have a real beautiful depth. The film's opening moments show us the campy-tone. It's gory folks, but it's fun. Turn off the part of your brain that finds little plot-holes or discrepancies. They'll be coming hard and fast. Colin Farrell as a vamp is entirely worth watching. He plays this thing beautifully. He's creepy, seductive, charming, funny, and menacing. I couldn't get enough of his performance. Like any great vampire, he loves to play with his food. And we love to watch him. As a matter of fact, all the boys seemed to be playing it just right. Tennant steals scenes. He's over the top, but he's supposed to be. Yelchin is easy to root for. Mintz-Plasse plays his normal role, which works. The female roles, unfortunately, turn out to be weaker. It's a surprise, to be sure. Didn't a woman write this thing? Where was the disconnect? The usually amazing Toni Collette is given little to work with. Imogen Poots was just awful. Admittedly, she wasn't given much either. And one character, a go-go dancer, looked so generic I didn't even recognize her when she showed up in a key sub-plot. "Fright Night" is gory and funny. It's got the camp factor. Despite buying into the camp, I was a bit annoyed at the 3-D effects. I watched this thing in good ol' 2-D. However, I noted at least fifteen moments where something was designed to pop out of the screen at me. Stakes bursting through bloodied chests, gnashing fangs, a thrown t-shirt, a motorcycle coming through a car window, and more. It took me right out of the movie. That's the problem with breaking the fourth wall (which this kind of 3-D does). You keep reminding me it's a movie. Let me into the world. Don't push me out. "Fright Night" is fun. It has some weird pacing moments. It has some MAJOR plot holes, but I'm not sure if I care. I had a good time. I rooted for the good guys and was entertained by the baddies. It was basically a well shot b-movie. And that's okay. It entertained me. I'm not sure if this NEEDED to be told again, but I don't mind. It has a fresh voice buried in a mess of a movie. Yet, it's a mess worth digging through. And for the record, I prefer the original. This film is now playing in Times Squareat:
AMC Empire 25 234 W. 42nd Street, 10036 1-888-AMC-4FUN
Fright Night Digital PresentationRated (R) • 2 hrs
10:00am, 11:20am, 12:50pm, 2:10pm, 3:40pm, 5:00pm, 6:30pm, 7:50pm, 9:20pm, 10:40pm, Midnight Fright Night 3D Rated (R) • 2 hrs.
Noon, 2:50pm, 5:40pm, 8:30pm, 11:20pm Fright Night 3D Rated (R) • 2 hrs.
10:40am, 1:30pm, 4:20pm, 7:10pm, 10:00pm http://www.welcometofrightnight.com/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1438176/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089175/ For more articles like Fright Night, please visit the Film Reviews Section of TimesSquare.com
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